So, there's this guy I went to college with who had the biggest foot fetish I've ever personally known of, to date. He stared at feet. He constantly critiqued feet. And when he spoke of them, he described feet with the same type of lust and affinity that other guys talk about our T&A. I truly had never seen anything like it. To take things over the top, his favorite kind of feet were pedicured ones that—wait for it—were sweaty (What. In. The. World?!). Yeah, I feel like a lot of you are staring at your monitor (or cell phone) and thinking to yourself, "I already know this is some white dude." But nope. He was very much so Black. A proud Nupe who was very active in Black organizations on the yard, in fact. As a wise person once said, "There are all kinds of ways to be Black."
Anyway, I'm not sure why I didn't inquire more about his borderline obsession with feet at the time. It's not that I have a natural aversion to them or anything. It's just that, other than when it's time to get a pedicure of my own, I don't really give feet much thought. Plus, it wasn't until I worked with a porn ministry and learned more about all of the fetishes that are out here in the world (if you're curious about what the current most common ones are, click here) that I ever got why people have fetishes in the first place. While some folks have them due to being on the spectrum of some sort of mental illness or their fetish is PTSD-related to some form of trauma, others dabble in fetishism as a coping mechanism (for instance, as a way to deal with stress).
Still, there are those who simply have a very strong preference for things that might seem "odd" when it comes to what sexually arouses them. Believe it or not, one of the most popular "arousals" is feet. Here's why.
So, What’s the Foot Fetish Thing All About, Anyway?
Let's begin with what a foot fetish is (the technical term is podophilia, by the way) by definition. It's when someone is sexually interested in feet. It can be the entire foot or a part of it like the ankles or toes. While some people are drawn to feet in their completely natural state, others' interest are piqued when a person's toes are polished or they notice someone who has a toe ring or ankle bracelet on. Then there are those who can literally get off while massaging a person's feet or even licking or sucking on them.
As far as how common foot fetishes are, it's kind of hard to tell. Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a research fellow at The Kinsey Institute, once said in an interview for Men's Health, that 14 percent of the 4,000 individuals he surveyed claimed to have one. Another study that featured approximately 5,000 people revealed that almost half of the individuals who were asked about their "favorite fetish" had feet on the top of the list. So clearly, even if it's not spoken about openly or regularly, foot fetishes are pretty common out in these streets.
And just what is the fascination with feet, especially in a sexual sense? Those reasons run the gamut too. Some therapists say that it pulls in a submission aspect to sex. Because a lot of people find feet to literally be "below them", when the person with the fetish is able to subdue their partner in some way via feet play, it makes them feel more dominant and powerful. From a medical perspective, because there are well over 7,000 nerve endings in each of our feet, incorporating feet into sexual activity can potentially intensify orgasms (although, there are also studies that say it's easier to have orgasms with socks on so…there's that). Still, another theory is, because feet are covered up a lot of the time, those who have a foot fetish feel as if they are closer to their partner when both individuals have their feet exposed in each other's presence. Then there are the folks who don't have a clue why they like feet as much as they do.
Back in my sexually active days, I was definitely down for giving foot rubs. A few men did do some pretty impressive toe-sucking too (shout out to Aquariuses and my fellow Geminis on that one). But again, if feet never came into play in the bedroom, I definitely wouldn't have lost any sleep—or orgasms—over it. But after reading another fascinating reason why some people have this kind of fetish, I might just consider bringing more foot action into the equation, whenever I decide to hop back on the, umm, horse.
Have You Ever Had a Footgasm Before?
Out of all the reasons why people would be into feet, there is really only one that has me sold. It wasn't until several months ago that I was even aware that something like what I'm about to share even existed too. Have you ever heard of a footgasm before? It's literally when your feet are stimulated to the point where you climax. From what I've read, it's rarer than most other kinds of orgasms, but if you want to try to have one, this is what you do:
Have your partner put some warm massage oil in their hands. Then they should take one of your feet and, with the oil on their fingertips, they should gently-yet-deeply massage the soft part of your skin that is right beneath your toes and right above the arch of your foot. As they rub that area, it will not only help to relax your body, but it will send signals to your brain that will stimulate your genital region.
If they do this for about 10 minutes or so, while you might not experience a full-blown orgasm, what you do stand a great chance of is becoming so aroused that when you do have sex, your orgasms will be more intense and last longer. Feet are a reigning sexual pressure point, after all.
To me, what all of this boils down to is if you've got a foot fetish, it's nothing to be bashful about. It is quite evident that you are among friends. Oh, and if you're seeing someone who has one, try and keep an open mind. For those of us who aren't into feet in this way, it might seem a little odd, but if you can get a foot massage or possibly even an orgasm out of it, heck girl…why not?
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